Fluid cooled distributing member for stokers



A. M. HUNT July 26, 1932.

FLUID COOLED DISTRIBUTING MEMBER FOR STOKERS Filed July 19, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l 7f I r IIIII i\ I INVENTOR gmareufiljfafli A TTORNE Y July 26, 1932. A. M. HUNT 1,869,061

FLUID COOL-ED DISTRIBUTING MEMBER FOR STOKERS Filed July 19, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR BY afldfea/ Qua/ mt A TTORNEY Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE ANDREW M. HUNT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.; CROCKER FIRST FEDERAL TRUST COMPANY, EXECUTOR OF SAID ANDREW M. HUNT, DECEASED, ASSIGNOR.TO THE STANDARD 1 STOKER COMPANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE FLUID COOLED DISTRIBUTING MEMBER FOR STOKERS Application filed July 19,

My invention in its broader aspects relates to and has for its principal object the provision of a new, novel, and very effective cooling means for both protecting and cooling any metallic member that in use is adapted to be exposed to the intense and destructive heat of a furnace. J

The present specific embodiment of the invention appertains to fuel feeding or distributing members for locomotive stokers, and has for its primary object the provision of such a member provided with a new and novel means for cooling that portion thereof that is exposed to the intense heat of the locoa motive firebox. v

The advantages and use of the invention will be particularly described in connection with a fuel distributor member for locomotive stokers as illustrated on the accompany- :go ing drawings, and it will be clear that its use is not necessarily restricted in its association as illustrated by the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of "forward or delivery portion of a' 25 stoker feeding system embodying a preferred form of the invention;

I Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the fluid go cooled feeding and distributing member shown detached from the stoker system; and Fig. 4 is a similar view with a portion broken away to illustrate the novel chamber construction of the invention.

SI While the distributor member and its cooling and protective arrangement may be used with most forms of furnaces it is especially adapted for use with a locomotive firebox having the backwall 11 in which there is a 40 firing opening 12, preferably, of the conventional form used on 'stoker fired locomotives.

Fuel may be fed to the distributor member 13 by a suitablefeeding system from a source of supply. The feeding system selected to .4 illustrate the invention terminates in a conduit 14 fixed to the backwall, the upper'end or mouth portion of this conduit opening into the lower portion of the firing opening 12.

The distributor member 13 comprises in part 50 a floor portion or plate 15 which in efiect is 1929. Serial uo. 's79,427.

side portions and the abutments or ribs 17 and 17a, which together with the grooves function to direct a portion of the fuel being blown across the floor plate 15 by the blast issuing from the nozzle 18 to the rear corners of the firebox. The central portion of the .floor is unobstructed to permit the delivery gf fuel to the remaining portions of the fire- The rearward and flange portion 19 of the distributing member abuts against the rear face of the cutout 20 of the conduit, the flange being formed with threaded openings to receiveheaded screws 21 adapted to re cesses in the bottom wall of the part 14 and whereby the member 13 is detachably fixed in place. The bottom wall of the conduit is also slotted at 22 rearward of the cutout for the distributing member to receive the nozzle 18 having forwardly projecting jet openings 23 through which a pressure fluid, preferably steam, is emitted, the fluid being supplied through supply pipes 24 and connected to the lower end of the nozzle. 4

It is clear from Figure 1 that with the distributor member 13 in place it extends through the lower portion of the firing opening 12, its forward end being exposed to the intense heat within the firebox. The floor 15 is spaced above the lower marginal edge 25 of the firing opening for the admission of outside air to the firebox through the passage formed beneath the floor 15. The draft of the firebox draws a current of outside air to the firebox through the entrance 26 beneath the floor, the air in its passage through the firing-opening beneath the plate impinging against the distributing member to effect a more or less cooling of the part to protect it from the intense heat and burning away (fi f that portion of the member exposed to the The construction so far described is widely used in stoker devices, the use of which in actual service has demonstrated that the mere provision of a passage for entrance of utor member to prevent rapid deterioration and burning away of that portion exposed to the heat rays of the fire and in many in stances the flame of the fire.

This invention is directed to whatis believed to be a novel and what in actual practice has proven to be a very effective cooling and protective means for use with any part or member that may be exposed to the heat or flame of the fire within a furnace and in practice it has particularly proven its utility for use in connection with the distributing member 13 of the form described.

As will be seen from Figure 3 and later referring to Figure 1, the fuel distributing member 13 and its cooling and protective means is'a unitary structure, the plate 15 having formed therewith at its under side a chamber 30, the walls of which extend from the plate a distance sufiicient to provide asuitable space 31 opening unrestrictedly at the rearward end of the casing for the ad-. mission of air when the distributing member is in place as shown in Figure 1.

A plurality of perforations, preferably,

closely spaced holes 32 are provided in the bottom, forward, and side walls of the chamber for the emission of the cooling fluid from .the space 31 to the firebox. The ribs as at 33 are provided for the purpose of adding strength tothe member 13 and to eliminate a tendency of warping or bending of its plate portion 15.

The bottom and side wallsof the chamber extend rearwardly from the extreme front end of the plate 15 to.a point short of the flange 19. When the distributing member is in position the walls of thechamber meet the lower marginal edge of the firing opening to form a closure between the interior of the firebox and the entrance 26 beneath the plate 15. The open end of the chamber is then in direct communication with and to receive air or other cooling fluid from the entrance 26 which permits the admission of the cooling fluid into that portion of the firing opening beneath the distributing member.

An important feature of the invention isthe particular way in which the cooling fluid is drawn into the firebox and brought into drawings, it will be observed that the portion of the distributor member over the surface of which fuel is distributed is protected from the heat of the fire by a spaced chamber the walls of which receive full impingement of heat radiation and is cooled by the outside air, or other cooling fluid which passes through the space 31, emitting therefrom and entering the firebox through the perforation, which, by reason of the closely spaced area exposed to cooling action of the entering air maintains the distributor member below destructive temperature. The close spacing of the perforations provides that no point of the structure is far removed from a cooling surface and thus the path of heat flow is short. To obtain the most effective results it is preferred that the wall thickness of the perforated chamber be equal to or greater than one half of the radius of the circular section of the perforation for then the net effect of the perforations will be to increase the cooling area of the chamber.

The chamber is shown as being formed integral with the plate portion 15 of the dis tributing member and this is the preferred construction to insure conduction of the heat flow and the cooling action of the cooling fluid from one portion of-the distributor member to the other, but it is plain that the chamber may be formed separable from the distributflow of the fire in a locomotive firebox or in other like furnaces.

I claim a 1. In combination with a firebox having a backwall with a firing opening therein, a distributing table extending through the lower portion of said opening into-the firebox above the level of the fire, said table spaced above the lower marginal edge of said opening to provide an entrance below for admission of air from without the firebox into that portion of the firing opening beneath said table, said table comprising a table top arranged to per-' mit fuel to pass thereover for distribution, forward, side and bottom walls forming in conjunction with said table top a chamber on the underside thereof, said chamber/open at its rearward end in communication with said entrance for the admission of air, each of said walls having a plurality of perforations that are spaced apart from said table top for the emission of air from the chamber into the firebox, the draft. within the firebox acting to draw air from-without the firebox through the 'chamberand its perforations, whereby the distributing table is protected from the intense heat of the firebox by reason of the cooling action of the entering air on the surfaces of. the table top and chamber walls.

2. A fuel distributing table for stokers comprising a table top arranged to permit fuel to pass thereover for distribution, a forward wall and side walls depending from said table top, a bottom wall spaced apart from said table top and forming in conjunction with said table top, forward and side walls a chamber on the underside of said table top, said side walls being provided with a plurality of perforations, and said forward wall having a plurality of perforations spaced in a row extending substantially the full length of the wall and said bottom wall having a plurality of perforations therein spaced in a plurality of longitudinal and transverse rows.

8. A fuel distributing table for stokers comprising atable top arranged to permit fuel to pass thereover for distribution, forward, side and bottom walls forming in conjunction with said table top a chamber, said chamber opening at its rearward end for admission of a cooling fluid for protecting that portion of the distributing table that when in use is exposed to the intense heat of a firebox, said forward and bottom walls being provided with a plurality of closely spaced perforations for the emission ,of-the cooling fluid from said chamber, the perforations in said forward wall spaced in a row extending substantially the full length of the wall and the perforations in said bottom wall being spaced in a plurality of longitudinal and transverse rows.

4. A fuel distributing table for stokers comprising a table top arranged to permit fuel to pass thereover for distribution, forward, side and bottom walls formin in conjunction with said table top a cham er, said chamber opening at its rearward end for admission of a cooling fluid for protecting that portion of the distributing table that when in use is exposed to the intense heat of a firebox, said forward and bottom walls being provided with a plurality of closely spaced perforations for 'the emission of the cooling fluid from said-chamber, the perforations in said forward wall spaced in a plurality of transverse and vertical rows and the perforations in said bottom wall being spaced in a plurality of transverse and longitudinal rows.

5. A metallic fuel distributing table for use with a furnace in a position therewith above the level of the fire and adapted to be exposed to the intense heat within the firebox, said distributing table comprising a plllate portion arranged to permit fuel to pass t ereover for distribution, forward, side and bottom walls formed integral with said plate ortion and forming in conjunction therewith a chamber, said chamber openingat its rearward end for admission of a cooling fluid for protecting that portion of the distributward wall spaced in a transverse row extending substantially the full length of the wall and the perforations in said bottom wall being spaced in a plurality of longitudinal and transverse rows.

6. A metallic fuel distributing table for use with a furnace in a position therewith above the level. of the fire and adapted to be exposed to the intense heat within the firebox, said distributing table comprising a plate portion arranged to permit fuel to pass thereover for distribution, forward, side and bottom walls formed integral with said plate portion and forming in conjunction therewith a chamber, said chamber opening at its rearward end for admission of a cooling fluid for protecting that portion of the distributing table adapted to receive full impingement of the heat rays of the fire directed on said table, said forward, side and bottom walls being provided with a plurality .of closely spaced openings of substantially uniform diameter for the emission of fluid from said chamber, the thickness of the perforated walls of said chamber being equal to or greater than one half of the radius of the circular section of said substantially uniform diame-. ter openings, said openings in the forward wall spaced in atransverse row extending substantially the full length of the wall and the openings in said bottom wall being spaced in a plurality of longitudinal and transverse rows. backwall with a firing opening therein, a fuel distributing table extending through the lower portion of said opening into the firebox above the level of the fire, said table spaced above the lower marginal edge of said opening to provide an entrance mission of air from without the firebox into that portion of the opening beneath said table, said table comprising a table top arranged to permit fuel to pass thereover for distribution, forward, side and bottom walls forming in conjunction with said table top a chamber on the underside thereof, the walls of said chamber arranged to form with the lower marginal edge of the firing opening a closure between the interior of the firebox and the entrance beneath the plate for the admission of air, said walls directing the entering air against the underside of said plate and having in each a plurality of closely spaced perforations forward of their juncture with the marginal edge of said firing opening,

diameter for the emission of fluid front below for ad-- 7. In combination with a firebox having a the draft within the firebox acting to draw air fromsaid entrance through the chamber and its perforations into the firebox, whereby the distributin table is protected from the intense heat of the fire'by reason of the cooling action of the entering air on the surtfice of the table and the walls of the cham- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

- ANDREW M. HUNT. 

